This is a Russian Mig-29 known to NATO as the Fulcrum. This aircraft was designed by the Soviet Union in the seventies as a response to the F-15 and F-16 fighters. It was first deployed in 1983 and is used worldwide with the largest fleet, of course, in Russia. Today, the upgraded version, the Mig-29 SMT has advanced avionics and weapons systems. Today, one of these fighters, under Russian control and flying missions in Syria, was shot down by Turkey after violating Turkish airspace. The conflict in the Middle East and the rise of Sunni and Shiite militarism has now drawn another country, Russia, into the arena. The stakes are high. People are dying. It remains unclear where all this chaos will end. Since the election of President Obama, several Arab nations have fallen or have become "failed states." Millions of people have been displaced and over a quarter of a million people have died. It has become clear, however, the Iran-Russia-Syria pact is now a foregone conclusion. Iraq, basically helpless since Obama withdrew U.S. troops, is now aligning itself with Russia since it has nowhere else to turn. The Sunni backed nations of the Gulf and Saudi Arabia have all but lost faith in their alliance with NATO and the United States.To date, no Western or Russian backed country has yet to amass major forces that could bring a decisive victory on the battlefield. So far, as crazy as it may sound, it is still "tit for tat." Even today, a suicide bomber found their way in to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and killed dozens of people and wounded over 200. Stay tuned for more updates! That's how I see it, today, October 10th, 2015.

Over the past 48 hours the world has witnessed the escalation of war in the Middle East. Russia is now a major player. The lack of resolve and policy, now defined by the United States as nothing short of total stupidity, has opened the door for Russia and Vladimir Putin is taking full advantage of it. Mr. Putin knows that he can virtually do anything and President Obama will do nothing. Mr. Putin has militarily attacked eastern Ukraine, successfully taken over the Crimea, and now, with the help of the Iranians, is making his move in Syria. Russian air power and Iranian ground troops will now completely engage the chaotic forces in Syria and what everyone thought was a bad situation will now watch a total escalation of this war. As this article is being written, Chinese warships are leaving the Suez Canal and are heading into the Mediterranean. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. I all likelihood, this conflict will now cause all the participants to up their ante. There just is no way that Iran, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United States can avoid stepping on each other's toes. Oh, I forgot to mention ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the rest of the rebel groups. From a military perspective, while this chaos is running rampant, so far, none of the participants are mounting a major invasion, not yet. I guess we should be grateful for satellite technology. In any event, the Russian play on the Obama administration will no doubt destroy the Democratic party's aspirations for the next Presidential election. Meanwhile, Putin knows that until then, he is free to make his next move. That's the way I see it, today, October 1st, 2015.